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A story foretold: The AMA, Ed Annis, Medicare and the loss of physician autonomy
In 1979, after three years of group practice, I opened an office as a solo vascular surgeon. With a wife, three children and a mortgage to support, the move was gutsy. To survive, no referral was too small, no operation…
Comparing office practice models: Should we joint venture?
In these challenging days of surviving private vascular practice, I’m sure we’re all considering our options. With rising overheads and reimbursement cuts, considering a joint venture can be an attractive option to share costs and expand growth potential. There are…
Unionization for vascular surgeons: Are you ready to join?
Vascular Specialist readers may wonder why I am now raising this topic amid current challenges facing vascular surgery, like governmental concerns, low reimbursement, specialty competition, the involvement of advanced practice providers without direct affiliation with vascular surgeons, and discussions regarding…
SVS launches partnership to help private practice vascular surgeons cut costs
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) has announced a new partnership with group purchasing organization (GPO) Provista in an effort to help provide a cost-slashing benefit to private practice physicians amid ongoing financial pressures in outpatient care. The initiative, unveiled…
How intersociety collaboration to promote private practice could help vascular surgery amid workforce crisis
Dawn M. Coleman, MD, chief of vascular surgery at the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, focused on the likely major shortage of vascular surgeons and physicians to illustrate how intersocietal collaboration will help ease this problem…
Financial viability, appropriate use and patient safety in the operation of outpatient facilities
The number of office-based facilities has been increasing steadily over the past several years—and more vascular surgeons may be considering becoming involved in operating such centers. To help vascular surgeons consider the various details involved, the SVS Subsection on Outpatient…
A vascular mission: Defying assumptions in the fight against amputation in disadvantaged areas
Lyssa Ochoa, MD, is used to the assumptions. One: ”What a nice program you have.” Another: “It must be so nice that you can give away all of this charity care.” Ochoa is the founding vascular surgeon behind the SAVE…
Learning culture, errors and Melinda French Gates
Workplace culture is fascinating to observe because it is nebulous and hard to measure. There is also often a perceived gap between the existing and the intended culture in terms of how the organization deals with human errors or unintended…
Interview: SCVS leaders discuss training challenges, position of private practice, diversifying generation of surgeons
Barriers thrown up between the worlds of private or community vascular surgery and academic practice need to be dismantled for the betterment of the specialty at large. At stake are some of the very fundamentals of what makes vascular surgeons…
Upcoming symposium for fellows: ‘Building a successful vascular practice’
A symposium designed to educate graduating vascular fellows on succeeding in a community or private practice as well as an academic setting is set to take place at the end of February. The 2021 Mote Symposium, hosted by the Mote…